A power supply is required nowadays for many functions in the passenger seat. Thus seats often include a so-called passenger control unit (PCU) which usually includes an amplifier for headphones and control buttons for the in-flight entertainment system (IFE). It is also becoming increasingly necessary to be able to charge electronic devices provided by the passengers (so-called passenger electronic devices (PED)) via a standardised interface during the flight.
A power supply is also provided for laptops and in the IFE displays fitted in the seat backs for long-distance flights. However, such applications have relatively high power requirements, with the result that this power supply must be provided via the on-board power supply network.
According to DE 10 2007 055 088 A1, an aircraft seat is known from the prior art which comprises a monitoring device which monitors status values for the seat, such as whether or not a person is present on the seat, the position of the armrest, the position of a folding table on the backrest, etc. An individual sensor module is provided for this purpose which comprises its own power supply element. However, this is not accessible for the purpose of performing the above-mentioned functions.